"D" the Ranter is Colorado's #1 Multi-sport MLBlogger. The Rant is written from a fan's perspective and you can count on "D" to tell you exactly how it is. Tried and Tested…There's a reason the Rant kicks ass in Colorado.

I’ve got lots to say so I keep plugging away

1/14/08

Did you see the special on the MLB Channel called Nine Innings from Ground Zero?

It follows the Yankees and the D-Backs and during the 2001 World Series just after the 911 attacks. Watch that show and try not to not get moist eyeballs.

You won’t make it.

That special was very touching and extremely well put together. The part when the little girl wrote a letter to Derek Jeter just after her dad died (her dad was one of the pilots), and she got to meet him and go to Yankee Stadium. That part choked me up. That was a classy thing to do.

As much as I say I hate the Yankees now, as a young boy in New Jersey (before we moved to Canada), I loved them. Props to the D-Backs, that was a GREAT World Series.

When I see a show like that it makes me proud to be an American and it also reaffirms why I love baseball.

Baseball really is the best sport in the world, and the only one where I feel like I get to participate.

Sure I really dig football and basketball and I miss them in their off-seasons.

But I daydream of baseball. I look at the schedule and plan what games I’ll be attending. I love figuring out which games will be primo “snagging days”.

I try to make sure that I make all of the games where bobble heads or other Rockies promotional gifts are handed out.

I go over my spring training/Tucson trip in my head daily, and it’s the last thing I think about before I fall asleep.

Well that’s not exactly true, lately my last thought has been about hopping in my car and hitting the 7-11 for a pack of cigarettes.

Day 6-Smoke free baby. I must say I’m not feeling like the friendliest fellow right now, but those who know me understand my situation and just ignore me. I’ve got a few more days worth of patches and then that’s it. I know at this point it’s mostly mental, but the brain can be a powerful thing when it wants something.

That same inner voice that keeps me out of trouble is the same one telling me to smoke, it can be confusing to a simple guy like me.

Normally I never ask for help. I’m extremely independent and I’ve always set my own path and did my own thing, learning from my mistakes (usually).

Normally I’m the guy that people come to for advice (it helps when most of yoru friends are younger).

Without going into a lot of details, I’ve seen some sheet in my lifetime and I can give people the benefit of my experiences, without them actually having to take that path.

I guess what I’m trying to say is “Thank You” to my readers who have been supportive of me in this “hellistic adventure” called quitting smoking. I’ll be there for you, and I appreciate you being there for me in my time of need. Baseball folk are straight up good people.

Baseball snaggers beware, I’ll be out there this season with a semi-fresh set of lungs and a new attitude. Naa, same attitude, just better air intake.

Hey Zack Hample when are you coming to Coor’s Field again?

No first row tickets for you this time buddy. You’re in the Pavilion with the Ranter and “it is on” my friend!!

Don’t take that as anymore than a friendly challenge. When I’m snagging in the Pavilion anywhere other then than first row, my only competition usually is my son Hunter.

When I’m fortunate enough to be snagging in the first row, I’m just a rookie there. Guys like Dan, Robert, Dave, and Danny own that row. I watch my P’s and Q’s and try to be respectful.

Hunter’s got the system down, just don’t interfere and snag one of the baseballs he thinks was thrown directly to him.

We’re still working on that particular scenario. He’s super competitive and REALLY hates to lose.

I don’t know where the hell he gets that from.

I plan on letting Hunter have a paragraph or two on this blog during the season to share his own snagging story with you.

It will be good for him and he usually has a good story to tell.

I’ve heard Hunter ask his mom if he’s famous because his daddy’s a Rockies blogger, that’s my guy. I really enjoy the times I get to go to Rockies games with Hunter. Mylee too when she feels like going. Mylee likes the promotional giveaways, and Hunter is just a straight up baseball snagger.

It’s fun going to batting practice now that I know a lot more people. I’m not such a loner anymore. It’s cool to seeing and recognizing the same faces at the games. Getting to hang around people that are as excited about being there as I am.

Here are my goals for this baseball season.

1. Catch my elusive live home run ball, I’m tired of watching Happy’s videos and wishing it was me.

2. Snag 100 baseballs at batting practice. Easier said than done, when you make only half of the home games.

3. Personally obtain an autographed baseball of every player on the Rockies 40 man roster.

4. I would love the Rockpile Ranter to be the Rockies unofficial mascot (Hey, I can dream). Sort of like the barrel man for the Broncos.

I always do the best I can do to plug the Rockies? The sad part is there is probably not a single Rockies player who knows who the hell I am at this point. This leads me to number five.

5. Get the Rockies organization to take note of the Rockpile Ranter and his efforts and realize what a useful promotional tool I can be. The Rockies need more love. I’m just here to help in my own special way.

I think MLB TV Network should give MLBloggers opportunities to be the person who gets to say “play ball” like the hosts do now. It could be like a 5 second clip of us getting to say that and MLB could post the name of our blog on the bottom of the screen.

That would be really cool and cheap. I’d shoot that clip for free. Plus how cool would I look on TV saying “Play ball”. Remember doing stuff like that is a win/win situation for MLB network. Nobody loses when you plug your own blogging community on your own TV channel.

How about letting us send in our own homemade video clips?

We could pick a theme and shoot a video to promote our blogs in our own creative ways?

That would be fun to see. So much talent here.

Oh yeah, I’m already thinking of some sweet ideas. How about from the Rockies Rockpile or how about me with a baseball glove and a bull horn on top of Pikes Peak?

That’s a pretty big Rockpile.

MLBlogs.com I’m full of ideas, it would be nice to see you run with one of them. No worries, I’ll keep casting them your way in hopes of a bite or even a nibble or not.

On a curious note: What happened to October Gonzo? He came in, gobbled up the front page and then disappeared? Who the hell was the mysterious Gonzo, and where is he hiding?

Witness protection? Laying low in the Hamptons? Joined the Peace corps? Maybe we’ll never know, maybe we’re not supposed to?

I could go on and on but I’m tired of sitting…Thanks for listening, without you I’m just a cool dude with a funny green hat…D

Hey D,
Thanks man, you are the coolest!
Definitely gotta get MLB Network, I can’t believe all the cool stuff I’m missing.
That’s cool that you’re going to have Hunter blog. It will be interesting to get his read on snagging.
Love the ideas you keep coming up with for the blogging community. And what did happen to October Gonzo. You couldn’t pull up MLB without his name coming up.
Looking forward to Fan Fest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Visual: me jumping up and down screaming)

I’m so upset that I missed the Nine Innings from Ground Zero! Julia mentioned it to me, but that story about the little girl made me tear up a little just reading it and thinking about it! I’m happy that you’ve been able to keep up with not smoking, I think it’s great!! And I totally agree with you about us bloggers getting to say play ball. They really should incorporate us more into that show– we’re just awesome like that right?
And in the post season, I have this whole idea that there should be a video of us with clips of each of us saying stuff like October Gonzo said last year. I think that it would not only bring more publicity to MLBlogs but it’d be a wicked commercial!
There’s only one October!!
-Elizabethhttp://redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com

I recorded the Nine Innings from Ground Zero special. Looking forward to watching it soon. There’s so many good shows on MLB Network. Today I watched a recap of the 1995 baseball season that I recorded over the weekend. The highlight for me was Ripken breaking Gehrig’s record. I grew up in Maryland and was a huge Orioles fan. That was a big, big deal. Tickets were impossible for the night he broke the record, but I went to the stadium that week to catch a game and see The Bird change the game count numbers hanging from the warehouse. I also snagged one of the special programs. Still unreal to me that he hit home runs in the game he tied the record and broke it. Cal wasn’t a big HR hitter, so that was pretty impressive to me. My other memory from that game was getting up at 4am to get the first copies of the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post that had all kinds of commemorative things in them. My name is Mark and I’m an MLB Network junkie…http://babypaul.mlblogs.com

You and I are a lot alike. Red-blooded Americans…
Way to set your goals-gotta visualize it-that’s half the battle. I like the idea of your son blogging a bit-looking forward to his youthful “hawk-take.”
On a side note, I think it’s about time MLB starts using some of your ideas, bro. You have some good ones.

BTW, I have footage somewhere of me misplaying a game home run-would that make it better? :)
It’s only truly happened once…the homer was right on the yellow pole and I pulled back at the last second because I thought I was interfering (after that day-I vowed to hold back no more).

BP/MARK-That’s a great story. Do you still have that special program?
HAPPY-Thanks man, I think we are a lot alike, that’s probably why we dig each others blogs so much. I’m just hoping someday I’ll get the opportunity to be able to make the decision of whether or not to interfere. It will happen this season…D

Yeah, I’ve got all kinds of stuff from the Orioles and their farm teams. I worked for their AA Minor League team in high school and through college and have some cool memorabila packed away.http://babypaul.mlblogs.com

You have a lot of great ideas that mlblogs/mlb.com should take notice of !!! … I like the picture of you fishing; and, like you said, you just “keep casting the ideas towards mlb.com”, and, maybe, one day, you will get a call, or e-mail, to discusss the details of one of your ideas being a feature on mlb.com !!! … Also, you have a great list of goals for the upcoming baseball season, and it’s good to see that you are getting your son involved — I look forward to his first post on you blog !!! … Take care, and “good luck”, again, with your battle to stop smoking !!! … Jimmy [27NYY], “BY&L”

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